Meet Danni McIntyre | Master stylist & Salon owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danni McIntyre and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danni, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After spending 20+ years in the industry I was able to identify unique offerings in the market. I was able to spend time learning and reflecting on my strengths and weaknesses plus learn from some of the best mentors in the hair world. I realized I had talent with hair combined with good leadership skills and a love for making people feel good. Most importantly for me personally I love anything creative and wanted to build something from the ground up that I could be proud of.

I knew from a young age I wanted to gather as much experience was possible so I could eventually save up the capital to start my own salon! I found there was a stigma behind being a hairstylist and wanted to prove to. myself, my family, friends and the world that there is so much more to doing “just hair” this was a major driving force behind my decision to become an entrepreneur and for me its only just the beginning.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My industry is like any other artistic profession. We are driven by creating something that effects peoples emotions. Puts smiles on faces, builds confidence, creates clients visions while they have a place to relax, express themselves or sometimes simply decompress. Personally, this is the most rewarding part of my story. When I hear “You’ve turned my day around” or ” You have made me look and feel so good ” I know I am right where I need to be in that moment, in this career. It has been a long road, not always easy. I have learned a lot about people. In return, learning a lot about myself. I have learned how to help yet create healthy boundaries for myself and other stylists in my Salon. I pride myself on supporting the younger stylists as they come up in their career. I always knew my end game was to be a Salon owner, However I have been pushing for it since I was 20. Now at 36 I see why the wait was needed. I learned everything there is to know about the industry and its stylists from Assistant, apprentice to Director/ Master stylist. What made them successful? What made them angry? What drives them? I also looked at not only success stories but failures and made a point to learn from them too. I took 20 years of this knowledge and opened Zoetry with confidence in 2023. I have the happiest team of stylists, a fast growing clientele, a beautiful location and glowing reputation from years of hard work, focus and dedication.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If friends were visiting the area we would start on the south end of Amelia Island at the Ritz Carlton. A spa day is a must followed by some poolside action and Margaritas!

We would spend time exploring historical downtown Fernandina Beach. Bounce around exploring the great restaurants in the area and my favorite cocktail lounge The Decantery. I would highly recommend “The London” Then make our way to PJD’s which stands for “Pajama Dave” a hole in the wall bar with live music. Dave is well known locally, you can spot him a mile away as he is always wearing his pajamas. The island is packed full of live music, good eats and great people!

We would make reservations at my top 3 restaurants on the island

1. Burlingame for their seasonally inspired American cuisine.
2. Kitchen 251 for a rustic seafood lunch and marsh view experience. The owner Chef Mike is a character! Always fun to chat with him as her has been a local all his life and has many great stories to share
3. Bar zin and/ or Lagniappe for great food and a killer atmosphere

We would hike around the greenway for outdoor activities. Visit Historic Fort Clinch state park and rent some bikes to explore the Island from North to South!

Of course we would pack a cooler and frequent the beach. In my opinion the best sunrise I have experienced at Main beach along with the protection of the turtle nests (If you’re lucky you can watch them hatch and make their way to the ocean)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The group I give credit to are the first salon I ever worked for- I had a 4 year apprenticeship with some of the best stylists in the industry ( In my opinion ) one in particular was my manager Lucy. I spent four years shadowing her and watching her create the most beautiful work. It was her that ignited a desire to create beautiful hair. She took me under her wing and showed me how to bring out all the creativity I had inside of me. I wanted to compete, work London fashion week and join Artistic teams to better myself and my work… and so I did just that and loved every minute of it! I felt like even though I had never dreamt of being a hairstylist- It was my calling. Initially I didn’t have a lot of support from family as it wasn’t what they wanted me to do for a living but when I showed them what it was all about, my passion to succeed and compete in country wide competitions in England, they started to show love and support and are now so incredibly proud of my achievements. From this, I have learned to let my own son explore what drives him, what excites him, no matter what my feelings toward the subject is. I feel he will thrive if I give him the love, support and space to live his own dream and embrace every moment of the journey as truly that is the best part of this life.

Website: www.zoetrysalon.com

Instagram: zoetry_salon

Image Credits
Photo credit Kelly @charlesmoltonphotograhy